


New Kid

by Fu_yu



Series: Death Note College/University AU [1]
Category: Death Note (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - No Kira (Death Note), And Mello gives him side-eye whilst the others welcome him, Near's the new guy in the dorm, Not Shippy, yet at least
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:47:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26854687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fu_yu/pseuds/Fu_yu
Summary: Having moved to Japan to pursue study at Daikoku University, one of Japan's top tertiary schools in terms of academic excellence and quality, Near dreads the prospect of having four other male roommates.
Series: Death Note College/University AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1959043
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	New Kid

**Author's Note:**

> Pretty uneventful story tbh, but at least it'll set the precedent for a new series I'll gradually add to!

Studying abroad wasn’t at the top of Near’s to-do list, but when given the choice of where to go to study abroad, he had plenty of options to consider.

The one that appealed to him the most was the Daikoku Private University, a leading educational institution in Japan, and widely considered one of the top schools worldwide, within the same ranks as Harvard, Cambridge and Oxford. And, due to his superior intellect, it was no question as to whether or not he’d be a suitable student for such a prestigious school.

And, wanting to live the peak university life, Near decided to seek accommodation within the school’s top-tier dormitories, having only read story after story about the extensive amenities provided to their harbouring students. After all, it seemed much more appealing than just living in a regular, small, one-person apartment.

The catch of it all, however, was the addition of roommates. And, to Near’s disdain, it seemed as though he’d be sharing a unit complex with four other males. Males completely unknown to him, a fact which only piqued Near’s worries about having obnoxious or loud roommates.

Stood in front of the door to the complex, double checking with a glance between the number plate on the door and the number on the room key’s keyring, Near took a deep breath before knocking on the door. Once, twice, thrice.

Why’d he knock, when he had a key? Well, he thought it best to let a roommate invite him in, lest he barge in unannounced.

A few moments passed. One second, two second, three seconds, before the door swung open. At the door stood a boy towering almost a foot above Near, with a head of light-brown hair and matching brown eyes. He’d look down at the smaller, white-haired boy, raising an eyebrow. “Can I help you?” asked the unidentified male.

Near simply returned eye-contact, his grey eyes meeting the other’s brown eyes as he held up the keyring, inscribed with their complex’s number on it. “Latest arrival,” he’d comment in response, seeming almost snarky in his response.

The brown haired boy’s expression immediately seemed to lighten up at the presence of their fifth and final roommate. “Oh! Sorry, I didn’t mean to be so rude. Please, come inside!” he’d say, stepping out of the doorway to let Near walk in, trailing his aeroplane bag in on it’s wheels behind him. “I’m Light Yagami, one of your roommates. I’ll introduce you to the rest of them later on, if you’d be interested in a small tour?” he’d offer with an, admittedly, rather cute smile.

Near was almost taken aback by his smile, but was able to recollect himself enough to nod. Even if he seemed uninterested on the outside, he was, internally, rather excited. 

From what he could see, just standing in the doorway to the unit, there was a rather big common area, complete with a living room, dining room and kitchen, all of rather large size for a simple unit. The living room comprised of a bunch of sofas and armchairs, along with a coffee table, a large flatscreen mounted atop the wall and a few assorted game consoles on the cabinet just below. The dining room was rather simple, providing a table fit to sit six people in total, with the rather sizable kitchen just a few steps from there. He could see another hallway just opposite the living room, noting five doors down the hallway - three on the right wall, and two on the left wall - the bedrooms, for sure. Light lead Near through the area, showing him where every supposedly important thing in the apartment would be, such as where to find the right plates and bowls, and which drawer the cutlery was in, and why none of the roommates should dare think to try and unplug one of the consoles, lest they wish to encur the wrath of a guy named “Matt.” Near was then directed to his room, which happened to be the middle door on the right wall, taking a moment to unpack his things whilst Light gathered up the other four roommates into the living room. It proved to be a rather big shock for Near, who didn’t expect to see the four of them all gathered together once he’d stepped outside, sat on the couch, with Mario Kart on the television.

On the couch sat a rather grumpy-looking blonde, a boy with messy black hair, Light, and another brunette, with blue eyes hidden behind a pair of strange goggles. He was the first to greet Near, waving him over. “Hey, new guy! C’mon, come play some games with us! No better way to meet a new roommate!”

Near initially hesitated in accepting the offer, but after a bit of consideration, he’d thought it best to try and settle in nicely. They seemed like a nice enough group… minus the blonde, who seemed sort of reserved - probably for a good reason, considering his grumpy look. He’d plop down on the couch next to the goggle-wearing brunette, who offered a hand out to Near immediately. “Howdy, I’m Matt,” he’d say with a grin, as Near took his hand and gave it a shake.

“Or Mail Jeevas,” the blonde interjected with a snrk.

“Aw, shut up, _Mihael,_ ” Matt responded with a roll of his eyes. “That lovely guy over there is Mihael Keehl, but he prefers the nickname Mello. I guess you’ve already met Light,” he’d say, pointing to the black-haired boy, who seemed to be crouched on the couch in a sort of… discomforting way. Or, at least, it looked uncomfortable to anyone that wasn’t him. “That’s L Lawliet, but he also goes by Ryuzaki. Strange, I know, three of us tend to go by nicknames,” Matt commented with a chuckle. “What’s yours?” 

“Near,” Near responded.

“That’s your name?” Matt asked with a cock of his brow.

“Oh. Oh, no, it’s my nickname. I thought you were asking for a nickname,” Near corrected. “My name’s Nate River. Or Near, I guess, if we want to outnumber Light more in terms of nickname-bearers,” Near responded with a small smirk, which got a smile out of everybody else, too - well, maybe not Mello.

“Cool, sounds good to me, Near!” responded Matt.

L seemed quite interested in the newest arrival, albeit in a different sort of way. “So, Nate, what’re you studying?” he’d ask, taking up one of the controllers as Matt started to sift through the available tracks, eventually deciding on Rainbow Road - a move which made all the four OG roommates collectively groan.

“I’m studying forensic psychology and law,” he’d respond with a nod. At that, Mello seemed to shoot him a sideways glance.

“Oh, so you might be in Mihael and Light’s classes,” L commented in observation, seeming to fiddle with his controller’s joystick a little. “Mihael’s in forensic psych, and Light’s in law. Me, I’m studying mathematics and film. And Matt here is studying IT.”

“More commonly known as Comp Sci!” Matt’d respond with a grin.

With all their introductions out of the way, the five boys would indulge in round after round after round of Mario Kart, eventually playing until the sun went down - only stopping to order pizzas and take toilet breaks, before getting right back into it. Interestingly enough, Mello seemed to lighten up a little into the night, even if his ease into interaction with the new boy was interjected every now and so often by Mello’s gamer rage whenever Matt would bonk him off the track and into an obstacle.

Once the lot of them finally decided to call it for the night (at 12 AM no less), Near plopped himself down in his bed, looking up at the ceiling of his sizable room, with the biggest smile he’s ever smiled on his face.

Just from that alone, he knew he wasn’t going to hate having roommates as much as he initially thought he would.


End file.
